Michigan hosting transfer LB Jaishawn Barham on visit
The Michigan Wolverines have continued their transfer portal courtships into the second full week of December, hosting former Maryland linebacker Jaishwn Barham on a visit on Monday.
Michigan has plenty of familiarity with the former Terrapin, who was a four-star recruit out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore and started 23 games over the past two seasons.
The On3 Industry Ranking ranked No. 145 overall in the 2022 class and he was the No. 11 linebacker in the country. On3 has him as the No. 2 linebacker available in the transfer portal and the No. 60 overall player currently available as of Dec. 11.
U-M has had plenty of representation from that program over the years, headlined by players like running back Blake Corum and EDGE Derrick Moore, key cogs on this season’s squad.
As a freshman, Barham tallied 58 total tackles and four sacks en route to earning Freshman All-American honors and honorable mention All-Big Ten consideration.
His production dipped this season, but he still held a prominent role on the Maryland defense. He finished tied for second on the team in sacks with three and was first in quarterback hits with three. Barham had 37 tackles this season and recorded his first-career interception in Michigan’s 31-24 win over the Terrapins in College Park, which he grabbed in the endzone on an errant pass from J.J. McCarthy.
Barham was a favorite of head coach Mike Locksley, who raved about his growth and leadership earlier this season.
“I’ve seen him continue to grow,” Locksley said in a press conference this fall. “As a football player, he was already well-coached coming out of high school. Obviously, the time he spent at St. Frances and I know he started his career at DeMatha. I still think the sky is the limit for him as a football player, but it’s been good to see the personality of…he’s one of those guys that, as I always say, is part of the special forces meaning that if I need something done within this team and to get messaging across.”
The linebacker position had improved depth this season, but Michael Barrett will be off to the NFL after six seasons in Ann Arbor. Junior Colson still has another season of eligibility remaining but could choose to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. That would leave Ernest Hausmann, a former transfer portal addition in his own right, as one of the only experienced linebackers on the roster.
Michigan added nine transfers to the mix last offseason in offensive tackles Myles Hinton and LaDarius Henderson, center Drake Nugent, tight end AJ Barner, quarterback Jack Tuttle, linebacker Ernest Hausmann, EDGE Josaiah Stewart, cornerback Josh Wallace and kicker James Turner.
